There are literally hundreds of brands that have made the leap from product to everyday jargon. They have completely dominated their markets.

This sounds like a great thing for companies-- but it isn't always. Once a brand name becomes mainstream, it's nearly impossible to control and protect the trademark. And if companies aren't careful to renew their trademarks every few years, they may lose the rights to their brand name forever.

Once a word becomes legally available to the public, it becomes much harder to regain the legal rights. Brands like Yo-Yo and Escalator were once protected, but now their marks are defunct.

Take Spam for example. The brand is trademarked by Hormel Foods Corp, but instead of being thought of as canned/smoked ham, the word went viral and is now thought of first and foremost as unwanted email and annoying online interactions.

Still, for most brands that make this leap, it does more good than harm. Brands that dominate categories, like Apple's iPod and the MP3 market, are front of mind when consumers make purchasing decisions, which leads to increased sales.

You probably don't realize how these brands have taken over your vocabulary.

Note: The original image published on slide 13 belongs to photographer Patrick Joust and was published in error. The original image, and more of his work, can be found here.